Why Does Your Air Conditioner Freeze in Summer?

07/20/2017

The summer can get extremely hot in Hattiesburg, so how in the world is your air conditioner freezing over? It seems to make no sense. You may not even realize it’s taking place. How will you notice if your air conditioner is frozen? It may seem like a silly question, but you usually won’t actually see the ice except in extreme cases. Here are symptoms to look for that indicate you could have a frozen AC system that could be in need of air conditioning service:

Warm air is coming out of your registers while the air conditioner is operating.

Water is leaking from or pooling under your air conditioner.

When we say the air conditioner is frozen, what’s actually frozen is the evaporator coil, which moves heat out of your home to keep it cool. There are two main explanations that an evaporator coil may freeze; one is a refrigerant leak and the other is a blockage of airflow.

If your air conditioner has a refrigerant leak, you will want to speak with your Oak Grove Heating & Air Conditioning technician during your air conditioning service appointment to understand if you will benefit more from repairing or replacing your air conditioner. We can help you weigh the pros and cons using information such as the age of your air conditioner and its service history, along with other things.

If your air conditioner has frozen as a result of an airflow blockage, it’s because there isn’t sufficient air passing over the evaporator coil to dry the condensation that acquires on it—then it freezes. Air flow blockages are frequently caused by dirty air filters or even dirty cooling fins. These problems can be alleviated (and avoided!) by a routine air conditioner service appointment. At these service sessions, your technician will clean your system, replace your air filters and confirm everything is operating as it should with no potential problems on the horizon. It’s also a good idea to mark your calendar or set a reminder on your phone to check your air filters regularly and change your air filters when they are dirty. Always check that furniture, curtains and other household items aren’t blocking your registers, as even this could cause a serious airflow problem and the subsequent freezing problems.

If your air conditioner freezes, turn it off using your thermostat and call the team at Oak Grove Heating & Air Conditioning to schedule an air conditioning service appointment. We’ll help you identify the issue and have your home back to cool and comfortable as soon as possible. Call us at 601-268-3486 or book an appointment with us online.

About Oak Grove Heating & Air Conditioning

Lennox was created to provide some of the most dependable, reliable HVAC systems in the industry while providing great service and quality for customers. Oak Grove Heating & Air Conditioning in Hattiesburg is no different, with our constant devotion to your comfort and commitment to the community. We strive to be the experts at what we do so you can always be comfortable, and know you can always count on us. Give us a call at 601-268-3486 or schedule an appointment with us so we can help you achieve total home comfort.